Rival Darling: A Young Adult Hockey Romance (The Darling Devils Series)

“JUST MESSAGE HER,” Grayson said. “This is getting ridiculous.”

It was Friday afternoon, and I’d been hiding in my room since school finished. My brother clearly hadn’t caught the hint my closed door was supposed to provide—leave me alone.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, keeping my attention on the book I was holding. I was supposed to be reading it for English, but I hadn’t managed to comprehend a single paragraph since I’d opened it over an hour ago. I was way too in my head right now.

“Violet. She’s clearly the reason you’ve been in a mood all week.”

“I’m not in a mood.”

“You’re in such a mood,” Grayson said. “You’ve been moping around the house since Monday. And even though we’ve got our biggest game of the season against the Saints in just over a week, you’ve been like a zombie at training. It’s got to stop. Just send her a message.”

As much as I tried to deny it, Gray was right. I’d started the week feeling disappointed I wouldn’t get to see Violet until Saturday, but as the days dragged on, I’d only gotten worse. I found myself missing her more and more, and I was growing increasingly worried that our remaining time together was rapidly coming to an end. All I wanted was to stop playing pretend and for our relationship to be real. But it was hard to convince her of that when I hadn’t seen her all week.

My run-in with Jeremy and conversation with Mia hadn’t helped much with my mood either. The two of them had left me with a strange mixture of fear and cautious optimism. After talking to Mia, I was curious to see if there was any foundation to the sliver of hope she’d given me. But my interaction with Hoffman and his reminder about my freshman-year heartbreak had left me worried I was headed down a familiar path with Violet.

I knew I shouldn’t listen to him, and he was clearly still trying to win Violet back. But it was hard not to let his words get under my skin.

“You’re lucky it’s me in here trying to give you a pep talk and not Paige,” Grayson continued. “Even she’s noticed something’s up, and she’s been threatening to come up here and talk to you ever since she came over today. I figured you’d prefer to talk with someone who knows the truth…”

I grunted and finally placed my book down to focus on my brother. He was threatening me with Paige, so it wasn’t like I had much choice. And he was right; I’d rather talk to him about this. “I can’t just message her. We’re not really dating, so I need a good reason.”

“You don’t need a good reason,” he replied. “People text people all the time.’

“I guess,” I conceded.

“And while you’re at it, tell her how you feel,” Gray added.

Now he was just being ridiculous. I’d thoroughly considered Mia’s similar advice and decided now wasn’t the right time. Why risk scaring her off before I really had to. There was still a week left for me to turn this relationship from fake to real without putting my heart on the chopping block.

“I can’t tell her,” I said. “I don’t even know if she likes me that way.”

Grayson shook his head. “Have your balls gone on vacation?”

“Shut up.”

“It certainly sounds like they have.”

“Okay, fine. My balls are in Bermuda. I’m not going to tell Violet how I feel and risk ruining everything.”

“So, what, you’re just going to sit in your room and sulk?”

“It’s working well for me so far.”

“No, it’s not. Text her. Or man up and call her. You can speak to her without professing your undying love…”

“Yeah, and what would I say?”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Do I look like a dating guru to you?”

“There’s practically a glowing halo behind your head.” I grinned because he was the last person anyone should ever ask for dating advice.

He rolled his eyes. “Well, this dating guru says to tell her the truth.”

“Nope, anything but that.”

“Then tell her you have a fake dating emergency.”

“A fake dating emergency?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, clearly starting to get frustrated with the whole thing. “Just tell her whatever will convince her to see you.”

I started tapping my fingers against my lips. “You know what, I can probably work with this.”

“Finally,” he grumbled.

Grabbing my phone, I called Violet before I could reconsider and started pacing as it rang. I thought I might have a little time to think about what to say, but she answered on the second ring.

“Reed?” She sounded confused and also slightly breathless.

“Sunshine.” I didn’t know how I’d done it, but I’d somehow managed to sound quite nonchalant. My heart was racing like Coach had just made me do sprints though. “Am I interrupting something?”

“Uh, sort of…”

“Not at all,” another girl called out in the background. It must have been Mia.

I chuckled under my breath. “So, which is it?”

“You’re not interrupting,” she replied, sounding slightly surer of herself this time.

“Ah, but now you have my interest piqued. What exactly are you doing over there?”

“Moving furniture.”

“Really?” I laughed. “Why?”

“Mia didn’t like the feng shui in her room.”

“It was totally off!” Mia shouted.

“She has a lot of heavy furniture,” Violet added. I could practically hear her eye roll from here.

“Well, I happen to know someone who’s great at moving furniture…” The opportunity was almost too perfect, and my stupid little heart started dancing.

“Thanks, Reed. But I wouldn’t ask you to do that, and we’re pretty much done now anyway.”

“Oh.” So much for my dancing heart. It practically tripped and fell over its two left feet.

“Was there a reason you called?”

I was derailed. This wasn’t a situation I was used to. Probably because I didn’t talk to girls that often, and when I did, I wasn’t nervous because I didn’t care. It was different with Violet.

Grayson waved his hands at me, encouraging me to continue.

“Uh, yeah,” I finally and oh so eloquently responded. “I wanted to see if you’re free.”

“Really? Why?”

“Yeah, uh, I have a fake dating emergency.” It felt so stupid as I said it out loud. How come it hadn’t sounded that dumb coming from Grayson? Probably because he hadn’t been serious. He slammed a hand against his forehead, making me grimace. Even he thought I was an idiot.

“A fake dating emergency?” Violet’s soft voice sounded puzzled, and I didn’t blame her.

“Yep, that’s right.” I was going to have to run with it. “I’m going bowling with Grayson, Paige, and a bunch of friends tonight. I just realized they’re all going to think something’s up if I’m not out with my girlfriend on a Friday night.”

“Bowling?” Grayson hissed, obviously unimpressed he was being dragged into this.

I waved him off before turning away so I couldn’t see the annoyed look in his eyes. He’d gotten me into this mess, so he was going to have to live with the consequences.

“You’re asking me to go bowling with you?” Violet said, her tone still far more uncertain than I would have liked.

“Yes.” I was committed to the bowling excuse now. There was no backing out. “Are you free?”

There were scraping and rustling sounds on the other end of the line, and I thought she might have dropped the phone. But then Mia’s voice came through the speaker. “She is free, and she’d be happy to come.”

I laughed. “Okay, thanks, Mia.” We barely knew each other, but she was being the best wingwoman ever.

“No problem,” Mia replied. “Just give her twenty minutes to get ready and then feel free to swing by and pick her up.”

“I can speak for myself,” Violet complained in the background.

There were more rustling sounds, and I guessed the girls were fighting over the phone. “You there, Reed?” Finally, I heard Violet’s voice clearly once more.

“Yeah, I’m here.” I smiled. “So…”

“So, I guess I’ll see you in twenty minutes.”

“Great, I’ll see you then.”

I hung up the phone, a wide smile on my face as I turned to Grayson who was still scowling at me. “Better go tell Paige the exciting news. We’re going bowling.”

“I heard,” Grayson replied, but he didn’t complain as he skulked off to find Paige. Now I had to round up a crowd, or Violet would know something was up.

“Does bowling really constitute a fake dating emergency?” Violet asked as we walked through the parking lot to the bowling alley. She’d been poking holes in the excuse I’d used to get her here ever since I’d picked her up. It was like she could smell the stench of my desperation to see her radiating from me.

“Afraid so,” I said.

“But does it really matter if your friends aren’t fully convinced?”

“Not especially,” I said. “I’m more concerned about everyone else. The bowling alley is usually packed with kids from Ransom this time of year, and they’ll notice if I turn up without you.”

A group of girls was standing outside the front of the alley, and they all started giggling at each other as we passed. I really hated when they did that, and I wasn’t the only one who seemed to have noticed.

Violet was frowning in their direction. “And by everyone else, you mean the girls…”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Did the Instagram post help at all?” She sounded somewhat flustered.

“A little,” I said. “I definitely heard more people at school talking about us after the weekend. But maybe we need to post a few more pictures to make sure everyone gets the message.”

“Well, we haven’t got long left.”

I did my best to ignore her comment, but my stomach clenched uneasily at the mention of our impending fake breakup. I could not handle the thought of only having one more week with her.

The sound of bowling balls thundering down the alleys and clashing pins greeted us as we walked through the entrance. It wasn’t as busy here tonight as I’d expected, so it was easy to spot Grayson and Paige who were hanging out near the lanes. Paige was chatting animatedly with my brother while he was scowling at some kid who had committed the crime of entering their general vicinity. I doubted Grayson was scowling at the kid on purpose. That was just the way he looked when he was forced to do something against his will.

I’d had no luck convincing any of my friends to come tonight. To be fair, I’d only given them thirty minutes’ notice, it was a Friday night, and I was sure they all had much better things to do than unwittingly help convince a girl to like me.

“I thought you said a whole bunch of your friends were coming.” Violet was frowning as we approached my brother and Paige.

“I’m sure they’re just running late,” I replied. There was a small chance some of the guys hadn’t seen my message and could still rock up.

“Violet,” Paige squealed before she ran toward us and gave her a hug.

At first, Violet appeared surprised by Paige’s enthusiasm, but she quickly seemed to accept it and smiled brightly as she hugged her in return.

“This is so fun,” Paige continued. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Yeah, me too,” Violet replied as Paige took hold of her hand and led her over to the shoe rental counter. As I watched the two of them, I had to wonder if roping Grayson and Paige into this had been a mistake. Knowing Paige, she’d monopolize Violet all night, and I’d get very little alone time with her.

“I still can’t believe you’re making me do this,” Grayson grumbled as we followed after the girls.

“Sorry, I freaked out and suggested the first thing that came to mind.”

“Bowling was the first thing that came to mind? We never go bowling.”

“Like I said, I freaked out.”

“Yeah, well, you owe me.”

“Noted.”

When we got our shoes, the girl behind the counter smirked as I told her my size. I recognized her from school, but I couldn’t recall her name. Tiffany, maybe? I didn’t really care. I was too focused on the way Violet’s eyes lit up as she and Paige joked over how silly their bowling shoes looked.

Tiffany coughed, drawing my attention once more. “Here you go, Reed.”

I gave her a tight smile in thanks, but when I went to take the shoes, she didn’t release them. Instead, she leaned across the counter toward me. “You know what they say about guys with big feet…”

“They make great clowns,” I replied coldly.

Tiffany’s expression shuttered as she took in my hard gaze, but before she could respond, Paige snatched the shoes from her hands. “His girlfriend is standing right there, Abigail!”

I guess I’d been way off with the name, but that was the least of my concerns. My gaze went straight to Violet who was glaring at the girl. Was she pretending to be upset because that was her job as my fake girlfriend, or was she genuinely concerned to overhear a girl flirting with me? Either way, the timing sucked. I was trying to show Violet that I wasn’t some relentless player. There was no way she’d consider dating me for real if she thought we couldn’t even go bowling without girls hitting on me. She’d think I was just as bad as every other jock she’d sworn off.

Paige slammed the shoes into my chest. “I can’t take you guys anywhere,” she complained before walking over to Grayson.

I was slightly nervous as I approached Violet. “Sorry about that.”

She smiled though and slipped an arm around my waist. “Don’t worry about it, babe.”

My forehead creased as I looked into her eyes. She gave me a playful wink, and I realized this was just for show. She probably thought Tiffany, sorry, Abigail, could overhear us.

“We should go find our lane,” I said, placing my arm over her shoulder and joining in the act. I’d take almost any opportunity to hold Violet close to me. I was hardly about to miss this one—even if it was pretend.

She lowered her voice as we walked off. “Is it working?”

I couldn’t bring myself to turn and check. Not when Violet was so perfectly tucked under my arm. “I’m sure it is,” I replied. “You better stay close though to really stake your claim.”

She rolled her eyes and released a soft laugh. “Fielding pickup lines like that, I can see why you’d fake a relationship to avoid girls.”

“Yeah,” I murmured in agreement. Although, it wasn’t all bad. Not when that cringeworthy pickup line had landed Violet in my arms.

We reached our lane, and she pulled her arm from around me as she went to sit and change her shoes.

“Didn’t you say this place was packed with Ransom students on a Friday night?” Violet said as I sat beside her and kicked off my own shoes. She was frowning as she looked around.

“What? It is…”

“Reed, the only person I’ve seen who’s our age was the girl with the foot fetish back there—and she works here. Everyone else looks like they’re about twelve years old.”

I swallowed as I glanced down the line of bowling lanes at the various groups. She was right. There was nobody our age here. How was I supposed to know no one went to the bowling alley anymore and it had turned into the local preteen hangout? I guessed it made sense seeing as I hadn’t been here in years.

“It’s still early,” I said. “I’m sure half the senior class will be here later in the evening.”

“You sure about that?” Violet was far from convinced.

This was not going well so far, and I was getting dangerously close to being exposed. What had I been thinking when I’d come up with this plan? Surely, it was only a matter of time before Violet worked out I’d made up the whole fake dating emergency. If she hadn’t already.

“Reed’s right,” Grayson said suddenly. “It’s still early. There will be a ton of seniors here later for sure.”

I gave my brother a grateful nod. He obviously didn’t actually believe what he’d said, but hopefully it would go a long way toward persuading Violet.

“Oh, okay, if you say so,” she replied, flashing Grayson a cautious smile before she went to find a bowling ball. I wondered if she was still worried Grayson didn’t like her. There was no way he would have helped me out just then if he didn’t.

“You actually make a pretty good wingman, Gray,” I said, watching Violet join Paige over by the rack of balls. The two of them quickly slipped into conversation, laughing as they tried out balls in different sizes, weights, and colors.

“Don’t thank me,” he replied. “I just couldn’t bear to watch this car crash any longer.”

“Oh god, it’s not that bad, is it?”

He cracked a small grin. “I’m joking. You know I always have your back.”

I pulled my attention from Violet to look at my brother. “I know. Just didn’t realize that extended to girl troubles.”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance.”

“True.”

“And I can see how important this one is to you.”

“Thanks, guru.” I nodded at my brother and smiled, but he simply rolled his eyes and wandered away to grab a ball for himself. I probably shouldn’t push my luck with Gray tonight. He was already doing a lot for me.

As soon as we started playing, I stopped worrying so much about whether Violet was going to catch on to my emergency date ploy. Bowling was actually quite fun, and I seemed to have a natural talent for it. Grayson wasn’t having as much success. He bowled with far too much strength. I was surprised he didn’t dent the lane every time he flung his ball toward the pins.

“This isn’t shotput,” I told him after a particularly bad throw.

“Aww, Gray, it’s okay,” Paige said, patting him on the arm. “You can’t be great at everything.”

He grunted in reply. The frown he was currently wearing had been known to send guys his size running in the opposite direction, but Paige’s smile simply widened.

“Do you need some pointers?” she asked even though her score was barely better than his.

“I’m going to get a drink,” he replied, stalking off without another word.

Violet gave Paige a worried look. “Is he okay?”

“Oh, totally.”

“He doesn’t look okay.”

Paige laughed. “No, he doesn’t. But messing with Gray when he gets in one of his moods is far too much fun. Guess I better go after him.”

She skipped off after my brother, completely unconcerned by the fact she had practically just taunted a bear. But then again, Paige was probably the only one of us who could get away with it.

“He’s not the only one who sucks at bowling,” Violet said as she prepared for her next shot.

“You don’t suck.”

“I’m only three points ahead of Grayson.”

“Paige isn’t doing much better.”

She shrugged. “Meanwhile, you’re playing like you’re secretly signed up to a bowling league,” she continued. “Do you come here every Friday night to practice and play in tournaments? Is that why you’re so good?”

“No.”

“I bet you do.”

“I swear I don’t.”

“Who’s the team, Reed?”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s no team.”

“Ouch, I’m sure the Gutter Gang will be devastated when they hear you were too embarrassed to admit you’re part of their team.”

“The Gutter Gang?”

“Wrong name, huh?” She tapped her fingers against her chin. “Hm. Let me guess. The Bowling Stones?”

“Wrong again.” I grinned, starting to play along.

“Britney Spares? Split Happens?”

“Actually,” I lowered my voice. “If you must know, I bowl with my grandma’s team, the Ball Busters.”

Violet burst out laughing. “Seriously? I was right?”

“No.” I shook my head, pretending to look disappointed. “Grandma would never let a guy on her team.”

“Brutal,” she replied, still chuckling.

We were both grinning brightly at one another and, in moments like these, it was far too easy to forget our relationship wasn’t real.

I wondered if Violet was thinking the same thing because she quickly cleared her throat and glanced away. “I should probably take my turn,” she said, facing the lane once more.

I wasn’t ready for the moment to be over, so I stepped up to stand at her side. “How about I give you a few pointers?”

She lifted one eyebrow as she glanced up at me. “Are you saying I need help?”

“No, not at all,” I replied. “I just think it’s a good opportunity to put on a bit of a show for our onlookers here.” I kept my voice low although there was no chance of anyone hearing us. There was also little chance anyone was watching us, but I needed to find some reason to stay close to her.

“Right,” she whispered. Her gaze briefly darted around the bowling alley, but she didn’t protest. Maybe she hadn’t noticed that everyone else here was far too busy with their own game to take any interest in what we were doing. Or, maybe, she didn’t care.

I lined myself up behind her and gently placed one hand on her waist, using the other to help guide the ball. “Is this okay?”

“Uh-huh.” Her voice was a little softer. A little higher. Did my closeness affect her as much as it did me? The subtle scent of her sweet shampoo was intoxicating and making me feel slightly lightheaded. It took all of my self-control not to dip my head closer so I could breathe it in more deeply.

“So, we line the ball up with the pins,” I said, my voice sounding far rougher than I intended. “And then use a steady and straight swing before you make sure to release the ball smoothly.”

She peered up at me over her shoulder. Her face was so close to mine, and it would have been so easy for us to kiss. It had been far too long since the first and only time I’d felt her lips against mine, and I desperately wanted to kiss her again.

“It actually sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” she said with half a smile.

“Not really.” I smirked. “I’m just making it up as I go. To be honest, the Reed Darling bowling method is a bit less refined. Just swing your arm, release the ball, and hope it goes where you want.”

A laugh escaped her lips, and I felt her body gently shaking against mine. “The Reed Darling method does seem more like my style.”

She was still looking up at me, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling as she smiled. I wished I could lean closer to her, and the way she was looking at me was almost urging me to do so, pulling me in like a doomed moth enchanted by a bright but fatal flame.

“Uh, should I give it a go then?” Violet’s whispered words shook me out of my trance, and I feared I’d been staring at her in silence for too long.

“Sure,” I mumbled. “Let’s see it.”

I let her step away from me, and I instantly missed having her in my arms.

She took a dramatically deep breath and nodded at me firmly. There was a focused look in her eyes as she turned to face the lane. She positioned herself carefully, adjusting the grip on her ball before swinging it swiftly and releasing it from her fingertips in one smooth motion. We both watched in nervous excitement as it barreled down the lane, heading directly for the middle pin. The ball connected with a resounding crash and sent the pins flying in every direction. She’d bowled a strike.

Violet’s hands shot up into the air as she squealed with excitement, and I couldn’t seem to help myself. One minute, I was standing behind her, and the next, she was back in my arms. I lifted her up and spun her around in celebration. She laughed freely as I cheered along with her.

It was only as the shock and elation began to wear off that we both seemed to realize the intimacy of what we were doing. I slowly lowered her to the ground, but that only seemed to heighten the intensity of the moment as she slipped through my arms. Every brush of her body against mine was pure torture.

She didn’t jump away from me as soon as her feet touched down on the floor like I expected. Instead, she stood there, staring up into my eyes once again. I was back where I wanted to be, and I knew I could have stayed standing there with her forever. How could my heart be beating so fast when all we were doing was looking at each other? And how could the connection between us feel so real when this was all supposed to be fake? Surely this wasn’t completely one-sided?

“Are we interrupting something?” Paige asked, causing Violet to finally break away from me.

“No,” Violet squeaked.

Yes, my thoughts screamed. I shot Paige my dirtiest scowl, but she took a sip of soda through her straw like she was completely innocent of any wrongdoing. Grayson was smirking slightly from behind her, so I gave him an equally hard look. He was no longer my favorite wingman.

I didn’t know if I would have another chance to get close to Violet tonight, but it didn’t matter to me. I just liked spending time with her. As the night went on, it felt more and more natural, like we’d known each other for years rather than mere weeks. We finished our game, which I inevitably won, but it swelled my heart to see Violet celebrating her second-place finish and have her thank me for my excellent coaching. Grayson, of course, wasn’t quite as happy.

After the four of us had grabbed a bite to eat, I gave Violet a ride home, and the hardest part of the night arrived. We pulled up outside her house, and, yet again, I was thinking about kissing her. I was chafing at the restraints of our fake relationship, and a part of me wanted to call the whole thing off, admit I’d made up all that stuff about girls chasing me to be their formal date, and tell her how I truly felt. But I couldn’t stop worrying I might scare her off if I did. The thought was enough to hold me back.

“So, be honest,” Violet said. “Was tonight really the emergency you made it out to be? Because your friends never showed up, and despite what you and Grayson said, I didn’t see a single person our age at the bowling alley.”

I considered trying to convince her once again and cover up how tragic I was, but I didn’t have it in me. I was starting to hate this whole arrangement, but I was still too scared to blow it up.

“Reed?” she asked when I didn’t answer right away.

I had to say something quick. Surely a little bit of truth wouldn’t hurt, right? “Okay,” I said. “I guess there wasn’t really a fake dating emergency.”

Her eyes widened with surprise like she hadn’t actually expected me to admit it.

“So, why did you drag me bowling?”

“Because I missed you.” The words were out of my mouth before I could consider them. Before I could realize how risky they were. Tonight had been great, and while my heart kept telling me there was a chance Violet would return my feelings, my head was in firm disagreement.

She frowned and shook her head so slightly I wasn’t sure if I’d really seen it. “You’re not allowed to miss me.”

Her response was like a dagger to the chest. Why would she say that if she had feelings for me? If she wasn’t still fully focused on our arrangement?

“Can’t a guy miss his fake girlfriend?” I said it more with hope than anything else.

“Reed…” Her gaze fell to the floor. “We agreed we wouldn’t let feelings get in the way of this.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You’re not feeling anything for me, are you?” I really wished she didn’t sound quite so disapproving. She slowly peered up at me, her eyes wide and studying me closely as she waited for my response.

It should have been the easiest question in the world. The answer was a resounding yes, but I knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. The way she’d reacted to being told I missed her had made that very clear.

“No, no, of course not,” I replied.

“But you miss me?”

“Yeah, uh, no,” I stammered. “What I meant was I just wanted to see you. We’ve been having fun hanging out these last couple of weeks. It was Friday night, and I had nothing to do.”

I thought I’d made some progress with Violet tonight, but I could feel it all slipping quickly through my fingers as I rambled on. Each time I opened my mouth, I seemed to be making things worse, and I was internally screaming at myself to stop talking, rewind, and take the opportunity to tell Violet everything I wanted to. But it was too late. And I was too pathetic. Apparently, I had no problem facing off against 200-pound hockey players on the ice, but when it came to exposing my heart, I was a complete and total coward. I’d never been badly injured on the ice though, and I guessed I was still recovering from the pain I’d experienced off it.

“Oh,” she whispered. “Okay.” She looked thoughtful but then shot me a weak smile. “You’re right, it has been fun. And tonight was fun too. Thanks for inviting me.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “We still on for tomorrow night?” I hoped I didn’t sound too eager, but she was acting slightly cagey, and I was genuinely starting to worry she might be reconsidering our whole agreement. She was far too attached to her stupid golden rule.

“The victory party? Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Great.” My shoulders relaxed as relief pulsed through me. “I’ll see you then.”

The words were barely from my mouth before she’d jumped from the car. She was up the driveway and into the house before I could even consider getting out and walking with her.

“Nice going, Reed,” I grumbled to myself. Not for the first time, as soon as things started feeling even a little bit real, she literally fled the scene.

I’d tried my best not to come on too strong. I’d sent out the tiniest of feelers to try to get a sense of what was going on inside her head without revealing too much of what was going on in mine. But even that had freaked her out.

Something had inspired me to test Violet’s feelings tonight though. I hadn’t risked it all without thinking. When she’d been in my arms in the bowling alley and was gazing up at me, there was no mistaking the look in her eyes. She’d been thinking about kissing me. I knew it.

Maybe I hadn’t completely screwed this up just yet. We still had one more week as a fake couple. But if I was going to win Violet over, I needed to make her realize some rules were meant to be broken—even golden ones.